To make the move to a sustainable future where people are no longer threatened by an ecological catastrophe will require a number of things – above all a strong and broad movement with effective and intelligent leadership and an accurate understanding of the current problems and how they can be overcome. Sadly only some parts of this constellation of forces is in place today. In particular the green movement is not an effective political and social movement and the left is still in disarray, largely concerned with defensive politics and harking back to a world long gone.

As for ideas and analysis of the situation and what need to be done, some powerful critiques of the current economic orthodoxies have recently appeared that set out an alternative way in which the well being and prosperity of the population can be achieved and maintained. However, these contributions are insufficient since they do not provide a sufficiently profound diagnosis of the causes of the problem. Without such a diagnosis there can be no convincing prescription for a remedy. But the situation is even worse than that. There is also no convincing approach to obtaining the necessary changes.

The situation is not unlike that which Frederick Engels faced when he wrote “Socialism, Utopian and Scientific”read more (takes you to the pdf file of this article – ridiculously ambitious of course, but let’s have your comments).

“The essence of capitalism is its amorality and lawlessness and to talk of a regulated, ethical capitalism is to make a fundamental error.”